Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham and Chislehurst)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his evidence to the Infected Blood Inquiry on 7 May 2025, whether he intends to review (a) the compensation regulations and (b) the tariffs.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As I said in my oral evidence to the Inquiry, I am open to considering a number of areas of the Scheme where doing so does not cause undue delay to the delivery of compensation. The Inquiry will be producing a further report and the Government will respond to this report when it is published
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham and Chislehurst)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme, if he will review the supplementary route for people for whom the impact of their viruses and their treatments are not fully captured by the core route tariff.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Infected Blood Inquiry Response Expert Group provided advice on the design of infection severity bands for the core route. They considered the health impacts and treatments that applicants are likely to have experienced. This includes many side effects of treatments, including interferon, and conditions such as chronic fatigue. The core route tariffs therefore already take into account conditions that infected people are likely to experience as a result of their infection or treatment.
The supplementary route, as set out in the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025, provides additional awards for applicants whose circumstances necessitate a higher compensation payment. As a result, the eligibility criteria for the Severe Health Condition award reflects the conditions and impacts the Expert Group identified as not being addressed in other aspects of the scheme, including the core route or Exceptional Loss award.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham and Chislehurst)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the tariffs for people infected with Hepatitis C through contaminated blood products.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The impact of a Hepatitis infection can range from very mild to very severe, including liver failure and death as a direct result of the infection. In its second interim report, the Infected Blood Inquiry recommended that the compensation scheme should reflect the different impacts of infection by developing severity bandings.
The Expert Group provided the Government with clinical advice on the distinctions between these impacts. This meant the Government could set severity bands for Hepatitis infections based on clear clinical markers.
As set out in the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025, where someone’s experience of Hepatitis, whether it is historic or in the present day, has been more severe, they will receive more compensation.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham and Chislehurst)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the commitments he made when giving evidence to the Infected Blood Inquiry on 7 May 2025, when he plans to respond to the five areas of compensation regulations following his review.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As I said in my oral evidence to the Inquiry, I am open to considering a number of areas of the Scheme where doing so does not cause undue delay to the delivery of compensation. The Inquiry will be producing a further report and the Government will respond to this report when it is published.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham and Chislehurst)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the guidelines on external speakers at civil service events drawn up by his Department in 2022.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Government People Group which sits within the Cabinet Office developed guidance for all Cross-Government Diversity networks seeking speakers, prior to inviting them to participate in Civil Service events. This is to adhere to the Civil Service Code and maintain impartiality.
Updated guidance for all Cross-Government Diversity networks was published in the Houses of Parliament Library on 17th May 2023. There is no Civil Service wide guidance on checks for external speakers.